This is my yappy place. Sometimes I share my workshop experiences in jewelry-making; sometimes I talk about other things that interest me. I have created tabs along the top of my blog (next to the word home, below this msg) so you can select certain categories if you like.

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Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Start of Design 4, New Designs in the Windows Collection

Inadvertently started my “windows” series in a different direction than planned. I still intend to do the metal sawing, but since I had those steel metal clay pieces already made, I decided to go with those first.

It turned out to be quite the PITA since I had to get the parts of the paintings to fit EXACTLY inside all the non-circular shapes… and we’re talking teeny tiny. Those shapes may LOOK like circles, but they aren’t. It’s a combination of me rushing while making the pieces and the way the clay shrinks when fired.

I ended up making two for sale and one to keep. Here are the two for sale. To read more about the paintings I used, click on a picture (that link will work until the piece has sold).

My next clay pieces will be more organized (with a plan in mind). I might do some this week since I just got my shipment of charcoal in.

In the meantime, I started on the first window from sheet metal. I used a jewelry saw to cut the two pieces (front and back… I plan to rivet them together), then I etched a brick design onto the front piece, then I cut out (again with the jewelry saw) the window.

Since that photo, I’ve smoothed the edges. But then I spent two hours practicing my riveting skills… which, it turns out, are sorely lacking. I can’t afford to mess up all the hours of work on this piece by subpar riveting, so I’ll practice a wee bit more tomorrow and then try to get the piece finished (adding scenery, adding patina, etching my logo to the back panel, riveting, adding necklace chain).

Yesterday I received some amazing beads in the mail. It was such a treat because I haven’t purchased beads in forever so it’s a real rarity for me to get something in the mail. These were from Andrea Pirkey and Jason Powers (in trade for one of my practice or otherwise “unusable” pieces).

I love these beads!!!

If you’d like to check out their Etsy store, I’ll bet you’ll be hard pressed to walk away without ordering something. Beautiful beads on every page. Enjoy Powers Art Studio.